Czech-Canadian artist Lenka Lichtenberg’s Toronto-based group is promoting her most recent album MASARYK. Colourful, wildly unique world music. Borderless folk and jazz with a hint of world-fusion and medieval electronica, played by some of the best in the genre.

In 2017, Lenka and Andrew created a project called Lenkkodek, which combined material from Lenka’s catalogue with Andrew’s remixing and production sensibilities. The result was a thorough reinvention of Lenka’s material, exploring the worlds of dub, electronica, jazz and ambient. The first track, ‘Open my Eyes’ was featured as CBC’s Song of the Week and on ‘Still Hopeful’ the two artists created their first ever original collaborative work.

For his performance at Silence, Andrew will be joined by bassist Marc De Vos (Eccodek) as they revisit material from Andrew’s 4th solo album, 2017’s Bardo. Lyrically driven and anchored by Andrew’s distinctive baritone, London’s Scene Magazine writes, “McPherson makes good use of lessons well-learned from the likes of Lennon-McCartney in the way these melodies unfurl themselves to maximum effect.”

Andrew McPherson – Bio

Songwriter and producer Andrew McPherson has been a fixture of the Canadian music scene for nearly 30 years. Widely recognized for his 2-time Juno nominated world fusion project Eccodek, Andrew wears a host of musical hats. A fiercely committed collaborator, Andrew’s production work has been released on labels including Six Degrees Records, Real World, Buddha Bar, White Swan/Black Swan, Modiba, National Geographic and more. He has partnered with artists including Vieux Farka Touré, Jane Siberry, Desert Dwellers, Kiran Ahluwalia, Philosopher Kings, Dub Colossus, MC Yogi, Delhi 2 Dublin, Stephen Fearing, Deva Premal, Kevin Breit and many more. From his Guelph-based Monastereo studio, Andrew produces, writes and releases his diverse catalogue of music that includes 7 Eccodek albums, 4 solo recordings, a live film score and 2 releases of his recently created ambient project, Peppermoth. Peppermoth’s latest album, Glimmer Tide, is released worldwide in May 2018 on US label Six Degrees.

Masaryk, the new album from Czech-Canadian artist Lenka Lichtenberg, marks her first foray into celebrating the music of her country of birth. It just won a 2018 Independent Music Award and has been described as “breathlessly beautiful” (Moors Magazine), and a “lovely album that will appeal across a wide listener audience” (Vancouver Sun). The deeply personal new release revisits the classic Czech, Moravian and Slovak folk songs that permeated Lenka’s early childhood and commemorates the recent passing of her beloved mother.

Masaryk resonates with an emotional depth that is both striking and heartfelt, and the lyrical beauty of these lesser-known musical treasures is well-served by Lenka’s soaring, clarion voice. The arrangements are based on a seminal songbook published in 1948 by Jan Masaryk – an accomplished pianist, beloved public servant, and son of Czechoslovakia’s founding president, T.G. Masaryk. The songbook has been Lenka’s companion since childhood, and has long been a cornerstone of her journey as an artist. In November, 2017, ‘Masaryk’ premiered at the Czech Embassy in Washington, D.C., and in the Czech Republic, Divadlo Semafor. This tour marks the Canada launch for both the album and the crack band which features; David Buchbinder (trumpet), Alan Hetherington (percussion), Anita Katakkar (tabla), Demetri Petsalakis (guitar/lyra/oud), and Michael Herring (bass).